


Method to Madness

by Caffeineislifeblood (Dizzydodo)



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Aftercare, Breathplay, F/M, Mass Effect Kink Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-02
Updated: 2013-04-02
Packaged: 2017-12-07 05:57:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/745076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dizzydodo/pseuds/Caffeineislifeblood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Thane shows Shepard a new use for her deepest fear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Method to Madness

**Author's Note:**

> A fill for this prompt:
> 
> I would love to see a scary Thane with femshep. You know how kelly says she doesn't know whether or not he is sexy or scary. It'd be awesome to see some smut with femshep super aware of just how dangerous Thane is.
> 
> It'd be awesome if it started out with femshep asking Thane how he assassinates (via neck snap) humans and he demonstrates on her leading to breath play. Also it'd be cool if Thane picks up on how femshep finds the the fact that he intimidates her exciting.

Shepard jerked awake, panting and bathed in a light sheen of sweat. Those damn nightmares were just getting worse; she reached out to Thane, fingers drifting over his skin. He turned toward her, hand reaching up to catch hers in a reassuring grip.

“The dream?”

“Same one.” Shepard chuckled wryly, “I’m starting to wonder if I should just accept that this is going to be a nightly thing.”

She pressed closer, tucking herself into the warmth of his body, breathing in his familiar scent. If someone had told her even a couple years ago that she would be sharing a bed with an assassin, she might have laughed at the absurdity. If anyone had suggested she would trust an assassin to watch over her while she slept she would have feared for their sanity.

Somehow, death had a way of changing that perspective.

“I’m not sure I feel like sleeping much anymore, a glass of wine sounds about right though.”

She sat up, reluctantly surrendering her lover’s warmth. Thane murmured a command and the lights flickered on.

Shepard grabbed for the bottle, taking a glass from the table uncaring of which of them it had belonged to. “You don’t have to stay up. I’ll join you in a bit.”

“Will you share the wine, Siha?”

He shifted to lean against the headboard, all lithe grace and shifting muscle. Shepard swallowed, her lingering anxiety quickly morphing into something else.

“Why not?” She sashayed back toward the bed, bottle in one hand and glass held loosely in the other. Thane’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at the provocative smile on her face, but she could see the hint of an answering smile tugging at his own.

She went to climb onto her side of the bed again, but Thane grasped her hips gently and slid her towards him; guessing his intent Shepard shrugged away and climbed over his lap instead. She took a celebratory gulp from the glass, pouring another quickly and holding it out to him.

Thane chuckled softly and she felt a thrill run up her spine. Who would have guessed he could be the perfect charm against her nightmares? His eyes met hers as he pointedly sipped from the same part of the glass, throat working to swallow.

That was just too sexy. Shepard leaned forward and pulled the glass from his fingers to set it on the side-table, her teeth traced a line from his collarbone up his throat, tongue darting out to taste the frill gently.

Thane twitched, hands resting on her thighs, shifting higher and higher, raising the hair on her skin. There was just something impossibly alluring about having the galaxy’s most dangerous assassin pinned here beneath her, shuddering beneath her ministrations.

Her hands came up to rest on his shoulders, hips shifting softly against his own. She could feel her effect on him and it gave her a thrill to know that she could tempt him away from his perfect discipline.

“May I ask a personal question?” She whispered coyly in his ear, her breath warm against his skin.

“Anything, Siha.” He tilted his head to kiss her bare shoulder, lips playing over the freckled skin lightly.

“How do you do it?.” She could see he took her meaning from even that simple question. It was one of the many little things she loved about him, his ability to read more into her words and gestures than she could bear to express.

He was silent for a moment, she could see wariness in his eyes, and suddenly a spark. She couldn’t put a name to that expression, it wasn’t quite mischief, but she recognized inspiration when saw it.

“It can vary according to species.” His voice lowered confidentially, hands swiftly rising to capture her hips and twisting neatly so that she was pinned beneath him.

“The Krogan are a difficult species to kill. It is better to simply use explosive devices.”

His dexterous fingers found her nipple, pinching gently, rolling the flesh between his fingertips. Shepard hummed contentedly when he leaned down to take it in his mouth, just edging the aureole with his teeth.

Shepard’s hands drifted down his chest, feeling the shift of muscle beneath his skin. She smirked up at him when he raised his head to catch her eye.

“Go on.”

“Asari are dealt with from a long range; it is better not to engage in a biotic standoff unless necessary.”

Her hands found him, curling teasingly about his length. He blinked slowly, dipping again to kiss a path down the valley of her breasts, across her stomach; she jumped when she felt his teeth teasing the frail skin over her hipbones.

Shepard growled softly, vexed at being unable to torture him the same way he was determined to tease her; she raked her nails down his back and he arched into her, a muffled gasp escaping him. Her calloused palms soothed the abraded skin, moving slowly up to his neck, tracing over the darkening flesh there.

“For humans, the throat is a vulnerable area.” He nipped lightly, suckling the pale redness, tracing his tongue down to the hollow of her throat and breathing in her scent.

“There are an infinite variety of ways to complete the task. A twist and it can be finished.” His fingers traced the line of her throat up to her jaw, caught her chin and tilted her head back for a kiss. Shepard arched against him gently, tongue slipping past his lips to explore. She could taste the bitterness of that peculiar hallucinogen and didn’t particularly give a damn. She caught him when he moved to pull away, teeth scraping along his bottom lip firmly.

“A single blow can crush the trachea.” He squeezed lightly and Shepard’s eyes drifted closed, rocking a little harder into him. His whole demeanor had changed to that of a predator, every movement graceful and controlled, gaze fixed on her, making note of every reaction. She felt her breath coming short in a mixture of arousal and something approaching nervousness. Logically she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but something about the pressure of his fingers at her throat awakened that dormant fight-or-flight response.

Adrenaline surged through her and she felt a tiny tremor begin in every limb. Thane smirked as though he had expected the reaction, he rocked into her smoothly, his length just skimming her center and Shepard clutched at his shoulders.

Shepard jerked, sucking in a stuttering breath.

“Fear is yours to control, Siha. It is a tool like any other and may be used to more than one purpose.”

She tilted her head back farther, baring her vulnerable neck, chuckling throatily. “Show me.”

Thane tensed in surprise when her legs skimmed up his hips, twining around him in demand. Her hands swept down his back to his ass, nails digging into the curve, pulling him into her. He pressed his mouth to her ear, breath panting hotly against the skin, his tongue darted out to follow a path along the shell of her ear, a hint of wetness left behind.

“As you will, Siha.”

His palm pressed into her throat and he looked to her for confirmation. For a moment, Shepard hesitated; this was the stuff of nightmares, choking and gasping for breath, unable to draw life-giving oxygen into her lungs. She could already feel his venom working through her system, bringing with it the customary lethargy and hyper-awareness. It felt so much like that moment…

Shepard nodded firmly, if there was anyone in this galaxy she could trust it was Thane. She would confront this fear on her terms, as she had every other challenge ever given her.

His fingers tightened only slightly, Shepard found if she focused she could still draw a breath. She squeezed his shoulders reassuringly, thrusting her hips to tempt him. Tease. He brushed his length across her clit, shifting against her maddeningly.

She bared her teeth playfully and Thane caught her lips in another kiss as he pushed into her. Shepard tried to take a breath, found the pressure had increased too much. Her lungs heaved uselessly and she felt the panic seeping in again, cold spreading through her form. He moved in her and Shepard was dragged forcefully back to the present, compelled to arch and thrust with him.

Her legs tightened on his hips, desperate to hold him to her, craving the reassurance of his nearness. Thane pulled back, capturing her gaze with his own as he arched into her once more, loosening his fingers until she could draw in a hissing breath. She was dizzy and panting and her muscles wouldn’t respond whether from the venom, the lust or another surge of adrenaline she couldn’t be sure.

Tears pricked at her eyes, tears of exhaustion and relief and mute pleading; Thane made as though to pull away, but she clutched at his wrists, holding his eyes with her own.

One of his hands left her throat to glide down her stomach, lower until she felt those clever fingers gathering her wetness, circling her clit maddeningly until…

Shepard arched into him violently, head falling back and black spots dancing at the edge of her vision, the lights around her seemed to dim and she could only distantly feel Thane’s hand releasing its grip on her throat, the first precious gulp of air. It sent her over the edge again and Shepard cried out raggedly, nails raking his flesh and leaving her mark on his body.

She felt him jerk and still within her, hands clutching at her hips, likely bruising the flesh; she heard his soft cry and smirked, loose and sated now. Slowly the colors returned to her vision and the sounds once again became sharper.

They lay in silence for long minutes while Shepard gathered her thoughts, brushing the drying tears from her cheeks and curling into his pliant body once more.

“I take your meaning.” She muttered, breathing still a little ragged. “It’s rather hard to remember to panic when you’re being assaulted with sensation as it were.”

Shepard wasn’t sure whether she should be impressed by her ability to form a thought or upset because she was preparing to ramble. Thane resolved the issue by the simple expedient of curling an arm about her waist, drawing her back against his chest until she could feel the steady rhythm of his breathing and hear his still-rapid heartbeat.

“Breathe with me, Siha. I will not let the nightmare take you again.” His hand brushed over her throat comfortingly this time, tracing down and over her shoulder, following the curve of her back. She felt his fingers rising again to tangle in her hair and sweep it back from her face, lips pressing a sweet kiss to her cheek. The sheer affection in the gesture made her eyes grow misty once more, but she banished the impending tears sternly.

She felt herself drifting back into a deep sleep, a pleasant weakness seizing hold of her limbs. This time there was no fear, Thane was at her back and she had learned at least one new use of fear tonight. For the first time in months, she surrendered to sleep and welcomed her dreams.

 

Shepard smiled softly, they needed to practice this more often.


End file.
